Edge of the Apocalypse
Chapter 12: Countdown: One Day

Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Countdown: One Day

Xianman Garden Restaurant.

A hole-in-the-wall joint that had been open right outside Yanhai University for ten years.

It was affordable, delicious, and highly recommended by upperclassmen.

The place was usually filled with guys, especially for all-male dorm gatherings like Yu Dong’s.

Yu Dong walked over, holding a box of cookies.

"Dongzi, what have you been up to lately? You’re being so secretive, skipping classes and missing the fall recruitment. You’re not actually starting a business, are you?"

Xufeng had been vague, just saying Yu Dong was working on his own thing. But the less they told him, the more curious he became.

As he spoke, Huang Zhiqiang snatched the cookie box and examined it in his hands.

Yu Dong smiled. "Yeah, I’m planning to do my own thing. I’ll tell you guys about it once I’ve made some progress."

Zhao Youcai was hunched over, furiously tapping away at a Spiritual Qi cultivation game on his phone.

"Start a business? The market’s already monopolized by capital. Where’s the room for you to start anything? If there was a chance to make money, do you think capital would leave it for you to take? Just ask Xufeng. His family is capital. Would he leave a good project for a college student?"

"That’s an exaggeration. My family just owns a small company... We can’t get every opportunity," Xufeng said, waving his hand dismissively.

"See? Even capital is scrambling for opportunities, so what’s left for us? Dongzi, it’s not easy for you to make money, and you don’t have family to fall back on. Listen to me, stop messing around. Finding a good job is better than anything. The fall recruitment season ends in two days."

After speaking, Zhao Youcai gave Xufeng a look that said, ’I’ve said my piece.’

Yu Dong: "..."

Seeing Yu Dong was speechless, Huang Zhiqiang quickly chimed in, "Youcai’s interviews haven’t been going well these past few days, so he’s full of hot air. Dongzi, you just do what you need to do. We definitely believe you can succeed."

"Hmph. It’s not that I’m having bad luck. It’s that these companies are too rigid. They just want obedient dogs, not people who can think for themselves."

Having said that, Zhao Youcai chugged half a bottle of beer and went back to tapping at his cultivation game. He barely participated in the conversation, as if the game was his real world.

Yu Dong ignored him and started chatting with Huang Zhiqiang and Xufeng.

Huang Zhiqiang studied the box for a moment. Seeing it was just a box of cookies, he seemed a little disappointed. He casually opened it, took one, and popped it into his mouth.

"Why’d you buy cookies? Kinda girly... Hmm? This is delicious! Dongzi, you’ve got good taste! You guys have to try this!"

Huang Zhiqiang passed a couple of cookies to the others.

Xufeng tried one. "It’s really good. Tastes a lot like Holiland’s butter cookies."

Zhao Youcai stuffed one into his mouth nonchalantly.

"It’s whatever. Anything over five yuan for a box like this is just a tax on idiots."

When no one responded, Zhao Youcai added, "Hey, speaking of which, you guys know Liu Ye’ye? I heard she bakes cookies too. Apparently, the rich guy who’s keeping her is into that sort of thing."

Huang Zhiqiang pouted.

"Man, it must be nice to be rich... If Liu Ye’ye baked cookies for me, I’d feel like I won the lottery!"

With that, he tossed another cookie into his mouth.

"Who knows? Maybe this box was baked by Liu Ye’ye,"

Yu Dong said with a chuckle.

Huang Zhiqiang pursed his lips. "I’d have an easier time believing you’ll succeed in your business."

"Tch. In ancient times, she’d just be an actress,"

Zhao Youcai muttered before getting lost in his cultivation game again.

Yu Dong, however, was thinking about something odd. ’When Liu Ye’ye said "dad," did she mean it in the traditional sense?’

That night, the three roommates chatted for a long time.

Huang Zhiqiang was his usual devil-may-care self, cracking dirty jokes left and right. Xufeng was humble and earnest, offering unique and insightful opinions when it came to business topics.

By the end of the meal, even Yu Dong, who rarely drank, had finished three bottles of beer. He was pleasantly buzzed, a gentle haze settling over him. All the sounds from the bustling street outside seemed melodious in that moment.

Because these were the sounds of the mortal world.

In two and a half days, all of this would disappear...

Yu Dong even took out his phone and recorded the noise, thinking that when he got nostalgic in the future, he could listen back and remember how wonderful these shitty, complaint-filled days truly were.

"The city lights tonight didn’t come easy... What you complain about is what countless ancestors yearned for. The world isn’t perfect, but it’s not so bad either."

"The celestial palace may be unreachable, but... an ice-cold Coke is within arm’s reach."

Yu Dong patted Zhao Youcai’s shoulder, then stood up and grabbed an ice-cold Coke from the cooler.

Xufeng got up to pay the bill at the front counter.

Seeing this, Huang Zhiqiang shouted, "Xufeng, wait up!"

"It’s fine, Huang. I’ve got it."

"That’s not it. I want to grab a Coke too, hehe."

Xufeng chuckled helplessly, grabbed a bottle for him, and tossed it over. He didn’t forget to toss one to Zhao Youcai either.

Huang Zhiqiang grinned and slung an arm around Xufeng’s shoulder.

"Mooched another meal off my Brother Feng today. Don’t look down on me for being poor now. I’m keeping track of all this. When you need me in the future, Brother Feng, I’ll definitely pull through for you!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

Xufeng chuckled. Huang Zhiqiang had said this many times before.

Zhao Youcai opened the cooler himself and grabbed a Red Bull.

"Xufeng’s family is so rich, this is nothing to them... Hey! Xufeng, how about I just go work at your family’s company? I’ll work for you."

"Hahaha... My family is in construction. It doesn’t really match our major, does it?"

"It’s fine. Society is just a makeshift operation nowadays. It’s all about who can talk the biggest game. Your department managers are probably no better than me, I’m serious."

Xufeng just smiled, paid the bill, and walked out.

He glanced at his phone. Yu Dong had transferred him 53 yuan, which was one-fourth of the cost of their dinner.

Xufeng accepted it as usual.

It wasn’t that he needed the 53 yuan, but it was an agreement he and Yu Dong had made a long time ago.

He had been the one to suggest the weekly dorm dinners, and he always paid for them. Yu Dong saw that the other two roommates were happy to go along with it, so he didn’t say anything. But he would privately transfer his share of the money to Xufeng.

At first, Xufeng refused to take it, but then Yu Dong said he wouldn’t join them anymore if he didn’t.

Only then did Xufeng start accepting the money.

This habit had continued for three years.

Everyone knew that Yu Dong was an orphan.

Although he qualified for financial aid and received a scholarship every year, as an adult, he had to cover all his own expenses. His living budget was definitely the tightest in their dorm.

Yu Dong never skimped on food or drink. In fact, he ate a lot of nutritious food, had a tall and strong physique, and his clothes, while cheap, were always respectable.

He managed this by working a part-time job as a large-package sorter every Saturday and Sunday without fail. The job was grueling and exhausting, but it paid well.

The reason Xufeng dared to lend money to Yu Dong was because, in his eyes, Yu Dong was top-notch in terms of character, financial management, and initiative.

He might not believe in Huang Zhiqiang’s boisterous claims or Zhao Youcai’s tales of unrecognized genius, but he firmly believed that Yu Dong was destined for great things.

It was the instinct of someone from a family of merchants.

...

「Saturday morning. Only a day and a half until the zombie outbreak.」

Yu Dong had gone to bed early last night, so he woke up at six.

’Today is the last full day I have to prepare,’ he thought.

He opened his notebook. The plan for the day: Nothing.

That’s right. He hadn’t made any plans for Saturday because he had scheduled all his preparations for the previous five days.

Saturday was a buffer period he had left for himself.

A day for finalizing and making adjustments.

After washing his face, Yu Dong inspected his territory on this floor.

The supplies in the three apartments had been sorted and organized, and the door frames had been reinforced.

All the packages had been delivered.

He had learned basic metalworking skills.

The solar panels were now supplying power, and the refrigerators were pre-chilled.

Tools, weapons, and armor were all placed where they could be easily accessed.

Thanks to the help from Ding Ming and Xufeng, Yu Dong had already completed everything on his list.

There were surely more details he could have covered, but Yu Dong knew he couldn’t achieve perfection.

But he also knew that what he currently had was enough to sustain him through three years of isolation.

He just had to make sure everything continued to go according to plan.

Just then, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky.

The rain collectors hanging outside the balcony began to gather raindrops into the barrels.

Yu Dong went out for breakfast, then rode his bike back to the university.

He dragged Xufeng, who was secretly studying a vocabulary book under his covers, out of bed.

"Xufeng, I need to borrow your laptop, tablet, and power banks."

"Huh? When will you be done with them? I need them tonight to watch a ’try not to laugh’ challenge."

"Put your IELTS studying on hold for now. I’ll give them back the day after tomorrow. I need them for the next two days to test my livestreaming equipment."

"Huh!? It’s all ready? Do you need my help? If you do, I can get my workout at the gym done early."

"No need. Just focus on your workout."

Yu Dong looked at Xufeng’s innocent and enthusiastic face, a flicker of reluctance in his eyes.

Most people cared about their family above all else. He had no family; his friends were the only ones he cared about.

After that, he also unplugged and took the power banks belonging to the sleeping Huang Zhiqiang and Zhao Youcai.

"Tell those two I’ll give them back the day after tomorrow."

"Okay!"

Yu Dong packed all his clothes into a bag and left the dorm room.

Xufeng’s laptop and tablet together were worth over 20,000 yuan. This saved Yu Dong from having to spend that money himself.

After putting the items back in his own place, Yu Dong checked his bank account. He had 2,880 yuan left.

He went to the shopping mall next to his residential complex, bought a few sets of durable, warm clothes, and also purchased three comfortable comforters and pillows.

He spent every last bit of his money.

That evening, Yu Dong stood on the lawn downstairs, observing for two hours before returning home.

Tonight was a night for sleeping early.

Because tomorrow, he would have to face the zombies once again.

This time, he would not be pounced on again. This time... he would survive!